Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

Geraldo Rivera, who wormed his way into the media coverage of Trayvon Martin by saying that the hoodie was ultimately responsible for his death, is back it. In the wake of the release of the 7-11 video surveillance, he claims that he was right in his initial statement: Trayvon was “dressed in thug wear,” reports the Huffington Post.

RELATED: NewsOne’s Trayvon Martin Coverage

“I think what’s far more significant is what Trayvon Martin looked like on that night, Bill,” he said to FOX News host Bill O’Reilly. “Aside from the fact that he’s dressed in that thug wear — look at the size of him, he’s not a little kid.

“If this young man was a stranger to George Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin looks just like the people who had been burglarizing and victimizing that neighborhood for the last six months,” Rivera continued.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

Even O’Reilly, who often shows flashes of fairness, even if only to later claim that he’s, in fact, “fair and balanced,” said that Zimmerman was “profiling” Trayvon.

Rivera’s response?

It was not “profiling,” but assumptions made “based on a reasonable comparison.”

As previously reported by Newsone, Rivera has always claimed that Trayvon’s attire caused his death:

“I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was,” Rivera said. “You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta — you’re going to be a gangsta wannabe, well people are going to perceive you as a menace. That’s what happens. It is an instant, reflexive action.

“When you see a Black or Latino, particularly on the street, you walk to the other side of the street to avoid that confrontation. Trayvon Martin, God bless him, an innocent kid, a wonderful kid, a box of Skittles in his hand, he didn’t deserve to die, but I’ll bet you money that if he didn’t have that hoodie on that nutty neighborhood watch guy wouldn’t have responded in that violent and aggressive way.”

After claiming that his son was “ashamed of him” for his comments, he apologized to Trayvon’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton.

“What I was trying to do was caution parents that allowing kids to wear hoodies or similar clothing in certain circumstances, Rivera said. “Particularly if they were minority young men, could be dangerous.

“But I never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings and certainly Sybrina and Tracy, I never intended to hurt your feelings. I want to personally convey my deepest apologies to both of you. I am sorry, Tracy, if anything I said added to your misery.”

His parents accepted his apology, by Martin had a few things that he wanted to clear up:

“Your apology is accepted,” Martin said. “Let me just add one thing with the wearing of the hoodie. I don’t think America knows that, in fact, at the time of the incident when he initially made the call, it was raining.

“So Trayvon had every right to have on his hood. He was protecting himself from the rain. So if being suspicious, walking in the rain with your hoodie on is a crime, then I guess the world is doing something wrong.”